Miami teachers to get mental illness training

Teachers, cafeteria workers and janitors in Miami-Dade County middle schools and high schools will receive training on how to identify early-warning signs of mental illness.

The training in Miami-Dade schools will begin in March in hopes of preventing shootings like the one that killed 20 students at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

The Miami Herald reports the program is called "Typical or Troubled?" It was designed by the American Psychiatric Foundation after the mass shooting at Columbine High School 14 years ago.

The Herald reports the training will be administered by mental health professionals to about 100 school district psychologists and counselors. They, in turn, will train other employees. Possible signs of mental illness can include sleeping through class, bizarre writings and extreme risk-taking.

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